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Friday, January 30, 2015

The first month was by far, the most challenging. Not only was I
recovering from my c-section (ouch!) but also getting accustomed to
caring for a newborn and the lack of sleep that accompanies parenthood.
Night time was the most difficult, due in part to the fact that Zane had
no concept of night time. There is a reason the first few months of
life are referred to as the "4th trimester" and that is because Zane
still thought he was in my tummy, or at least desperately wanted to be
back in my tummy. When I was pregnant, I ate pretty much all day long,
and Zane wanted to maintain that eating schedule, nursing every hour,
including night time feedings, and poopy diapers, which meant zero sleep
for me. I had him sleeping in the co-sleeper, which is part of the
Pack-N-Play (a must have!) right next to my bed. I knew early on that I
wanted Zane to sleep in the same room as me, because I knew I would be
nursing, and we'd eventually be co-sleeping. Zane was a great napper,
sleeping from 2-4 hours during the day. Night time was another story: a
big cycle of waking to feed & burp, then diaper change, then feed
and burp and rock to sleep, then poop and wake up, etc. It was a never
ending cycle at night, and I became a full on zombie for the first few
weeks. Eventually, Zane would sleep for longer periods during the night,
which offered much relief. Every time I changed his diapers or clothes,
he looked shocked and scared, realizing he was no longer in the
comforts of his mama's warm belly. This first month was exhausting, but also amazing, getting to know my little one and fall deeper in love with every passing minute.